Periodic Reporting for period 2 - AlkaBurst2.0 (AlkaBurst2.0 – A game changing bioreactor for sustainable production of active pharmaceutical ingredients in a consistent, traceable and low cost approach)
Berichtszeitraum: 2023-11-01 bis 2025-07-31
The pharmaceutical sector increasingly depends on complex biological ingredients whose production still relies on resource-intensive crops, long supply chains, and fragile natural ecosystems. QS-21 – a key component of many next-generation prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines – is one such ingredient: today it is obtained from the bark of Quillaja saponaria, a slow-growing Chilean tree, through processes that are costly, environmentally constrained and unable to meet growing global demand.
The objective of the AlkaBurst project was to develop a sustainable, scalable and European alternative for producing QS-21 and other high-value plant-derived compounds. To do so, Alkion BioInnovations aimed to build an automated pre-industrial biorefinery based on its proprietary temporary-immersion bioreactor platform, to optimise plant-based bioproduction processes, and to prepare their integration into future GMP manufacturing. The project also sought to refine the commercial strategy and engage the ecosystem needed for future deployment in global health, veterinary vaccines and biodefense.
The objective of the AlkaBurst project was to develop a sustainable, scalable and European alternative for producing QS-21 and other high-value plant-derived compounds. To do so, Alkion BioInnovations aimed to build an automated pre-industrial biorefinery based on its proprietary temporary-immersion bioreactor platform, to optimise plant-based bioproduction processes, and to prepare their integration into future GMP manufacturing. The project also sought to refine the commercial strategy and engage the ecosystem needed for future deployment in global health, veterinary vaccines and biodefense.
During the project, with extensive cellular and molecular biological R&D, Alkion established a complete bioproduction workflow for Quillaja biomass: in-vitro culture, scale-up in large temporary-immersion bioreactors, elicitation, extraction and purification. A new generation of 40-L modular “Alkaburst 2.0” bioreactors was designed, engineered and validated, offering reproducible biomass growth, reduced contamination risks, and seamless scalability through parallel operation.
The company also advanced its extraction and purification processes, enabling the production of highly purified QS-21 and several related saponin fractions. Analytical comparisons confirmed equivalence with pharmaceutical-grade reference materials. These advances were consolidated into a full process book and used to define the future GMP roadmap, supported by expert audits.
In parallel, Alkion progressed on automated micropropagation through AI-assisted robotic cutting (in partnership with an external robotics company), and engaged in multiple pre-clinical collaborations with NGOs, academic groups, CDMOs, and biotech companies. These collaborations now evaluate Alkion’s QS-21 and associated adjuvant systems in various human and veterinary vaccine programmes.
The company also advanced its extraction and purification processes, enabling the production of highly purified QS-21 and several related saponin fractions. Analytical comparisons confirmed equivalence with pharmaceutical-grade reference materials. These advances were consolidated into a full process book and used to define the future GMP roadmap, supported by expert audits.
In parallel, Alkion progressed on automated micropropagation through AI-assisted robotic cutting (in partnership with an external robotics company), and engaged in multiple pre-clinical collaborations with NGOs, academic groups, CDMOs, and biotech companies. These collaborations now evaluate Alkion’s QS-21 and associated adjuvant systems in various human and veterinary vaccine programmes.
The project has delivered a unique plant-cell-culture-based alternative to current QS-21 sourcing, replacing tree bark harvesting with a controlled, year-round, industrial process enabling 6-weeks production cycles (compared to 7 years in forest) and yields multiplied by 20. The 40-L Alkaburst modules represent a step-change in automated plant bioproduction: fully traceable, optimised for aseptic handling, compatible with robotic inoculation, and able to scale by multiplication rather than reactor enlargement—dramatically reducing risks and improving reproducibility.
The project also achieved major breakthroughs in purification, enabling the production of high-purity QS-21 and consistent saponin profiles suitable for pre-clinical and, after GMP implementation, clinical development. By integrating robotics soon deployed, AI-assisted micropropagation, and a standardised biorefinery design, Alkion is establishing a technology platform that can be deployed rapidly for multiple high-value plant-derived molecules.
The project also achieved major breakthroughs in purification, enabling the production of high-purity QS-21 and consistent saponin profiles suitable for pre-clinical and, after GMP implementation, clinical development. By integrating robotics soon deployed, AI-assisted micropropagation, and a standardised biorefinery design, Alkion is establishing a technology platform that can be deployed rapidly for multiple high-value plant-derived molecules.